Denise Kielholtz throws a left hand | Bellator
The Dutch flyweight takes on Kristina Williams this Friday night in Thackerville, Oklahoma on the preliminary card.
Denise Kielholtz is attempting to replicate her kickboxing accolades in MMA by becoming a world champion.
‘Miss Dynamite’ committed herself to making the transition from the ring into the cage around two and a half years ago and she has made steady improvements in the time since. In her last outing, she took on fellow former kickboxing champ Sabriye Sengul. The bout was Sengul’s MMA debut, and Kielholtz (4-2) got the better of the newcomer on the feet and on the mat.
Kielholtz dropped her opponent with a right hand as Sengul was moving in and quickly snatched up a keylock to get her hand raised just thirty seconds into the fight. Sengul didn’t take the loss well and immediately called for a rematch in kickboxing, but that isn’t something which appeals to Kielholtz at all.
“I’m not interested in fighting her again at all,” stated Kielholtz. “Everyone knows I moved to MMA with a strict goal of becoming a world champion one day. After I beat Sengul in London, it’s clear to see that she isn’t on my level in any area of martial arts. I don’t want to compete against her again in any kind of rematch, no matter the discipline.”
In fact, despite being holding Bellator’s current kickboxing flyweight title, Kielholtz doesn’t really have any interest in defending that belt at all. With a 50-3 kickboxing record and multiple title to show for it, the 30-year-old doesn’t see any challenges left for her in the ring. With MMA now at the forefront of her mind, that’s all she wants to focus on.
To help her transition successfully between the sports, she enlisted the help of Bob Schrijber last year in order to raise the standard of her ground game. Since making that move, she’s gone 2-0 with finishes by TKO and submission respectively. Kielholtz earned a black belt in judo when she was younger so she didn’t have a completely blank canvas when it came to grappling after transitioning to MMA, but she feels as though Schrijber’s help is elevating her game to the next level.
“I had the realization rather quickly after moving on from kickboxing that the two sports were totally different and had to be treated as such,” explained Kielholtz. “Once I’d started working with Bob, I knew that my MMA game was really starting to improve. I still have a lot to learn but I see that there is an enormous progression taking place which I firmly believe will make me a better fighter.”
Kielholtz is married to fellow kickboxer and MMA fighter, Hesdy Gerges, which she feels is a big advantage over other fighters. As well as being husband and wife, she says they are best friends and training partners. They understand each other extremely well and don’t have to explain anything to each other, which saves a lot of energy and time when it comes to training. With her husband’s birthday on Thursday, Kielholtz aims to give him the best present by picking up another victory on Friday night.
Her opponent at Bellator 239 is Kristina Williams who shares similar experience in MMA. Williams (3-2) burst onto the scene with a victory over pro boxer, Heather Hardy, in October 2017. ‘Warhorse’ has traded wins and losses since, with her two defeats coming against strong opposition in Valerie Letourneau and Juliana Velasquez. Kielholtz called for a top five opponent after her last win, and while Williams may not be quite what she wanted, the Amsterdam-based fighter knows her opponent is skilled.
“Williams is a very good competitor who can kick well and always comes to fight,” said Kielholtz. “I’m expecting the best version of her to be standing across the cage from me. However, I am sure that with my qualities and how well training has been going, everyone in this division will see me as a difficult opponent. I feel so much more confident in all areas of MMA now, so Kristina will be facing the best version of myself yet, too. I’m going to win for sure and if I perform to my true capabilities, she won’t last for three rounds.”
Although the 30-year-old is feeling as confident as ever inside the cage, Kielholtz knows she still has a lot to learn, and she’s hungry to continue showing her progression. In fact, she’s still surprised that, after her first Bellator MMA bout in 2017, she is still competing in the sport. Kielholtz’s original plan was to only fight inside the cage once. But, she fell in love with mixed martial arts. Now her core motivation is to become the best flyweight in the world.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has been the only flyweight champion in Bellator history and has looked dominant lately. The promotion’s division is getting deeper, though, with names like Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez in the title discussion. Kielholtz wants to insert herself into that mix with a big performance on Friday night and then plans on making a big push towards the gold.
“After this next fight against Williams, I think we will be very close to a title shot,” claimed Kielholtz. “I hope to fight one more time beyond this weekend and then I’ll pretty much be there. At that point, I know I will be 100% ready for the champion!”
The Bellator 239 prelims can be viewed live around the world on the Bellator Mobile App at 11:15pm GMT for fans in the UK and Ireland on Friday night. Viewers in the US can watch from 6:15pmET/5:15pmCT.